WREX

WREX, channel 13, is the NBC television affiliate serving the Rockford, Illinois, US area. It is the market's only full-powered VHF station and is Rockford's second oldest television station. Its studios and transmitter are located on Auburn Road west of Rockford. The station has been owned by Quincy Newspapers, Inc. of Quincy, Illinois since 1995.

WREX operates Stateline CW 14, a digital broadcast affiliate of The CW Television Network via The CW Plus. Stateline CW is seen on channel 14 on most Rockford area cable systems, as well as on WREX's digital subchannel 13.2.

On April 4, 2013, WREX added Me-TV, on digital subchannel 13.3, that shows classic television shows.

WREX's signal reaches as far away as Madison, Milwaukee's southwestern suburbs, and the northern suburbs of Chicago.

History

WREX began operation on October 1, 1953, as an affiliate primarily of CBS and secondarily of ABC and DuMont. The station's call letters were selected in honor of Rex N. Caster, the son of the station's founding shareholder and president L.E. Caster. Rex Caster was a First Lieutenant in the United States Army who was killed in France during World War II.